There are big things brewing in shared spaces, and not just when it comes to offices and business.
Penticton artist Kindrie Grove is experimenting. Not just with her art, but with the concept of shared creative spaces. Grove is combining forces with Nick and Jen Vincent of Co-Work Penticton to create the Art Experiment, a new series of fun evenings to create and play.
Grove already operates a shared space, combining her personal studio, a gallery, rental studio spaces and more at Kindrie Grove Studios on Main Street, while the Vincent’s Co-Work is a shared business/entrepreneurial space.
But the Vincents are also starting a new project, Art House, a co-work type space for the creative set.
“We are teaming up on a couple of things. We have one which is called the Art Experiment, which is going to be a creative experiment night for people to come and play with different materials,” said Grove. “There will be stuff set up for musicians if they want to jam, or poetry readings, anything goes.”
Jen Vincent gives the credit to Grove for spearheading the project, and the first event, on Sept. 9, will take place at Grove’s studio, where she has already developed a community around her shared spaces.
“It’s been really rewarding to watch it evolve and the community around the studio grow. From that standpoint, I’ve been really enjoying that, seeing how it unfolds,” said Grove. “I’ve got some musicians that use the space to rehearse in after hours. I’ve got three full-time permanent residents and a lot of people that come in and use the space and mentor with me.”
“We both have communities we work with and we’re both looking forward to creating an open creative evening,” said Vincent. “Come and bring a project and work on it and get something done together, maybe collaborate and share.”
Vincent, who hopes to have Art House up and running in October, said the Art Experiment concept dovetails nicely with their plans.
“An event like Kindrie’s on a regular monthly schedule seems to be a really great way of starting things off and can really bring a little bit of public focus and fun to it,” said Vincent. “For us, the whole reason for creating the new space is to create a location where people are being creative in a communal environment.”
The Art Experiment will take place on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. Because of Labour Day, the first event will take place on Sept. 9 at Grove’s Main St. studio. Cost is $15 for “supplies, nibblies and wine.”
The Art Experiment is not the only collaborative event Grove is involved in. In showcasing work done by the life-drawing group that meets at her studio, she decided to open the show up to a wider group
“I’ve just put out a call for submissions for anybody that does life drawing — there are quite a few different groups — to submit a couple of works and have an exhibition in September,” said Grove.
The deadline for entries is Sept. 9, with the show’s opening reception on Sept. 19 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. But it won’t be the only event that night. The Tumbleweed Gallery along with neighbours St Germain Cafe and possibly Ad Hoc Clothing will also be having events that night, something Grove describes as an “art walk crawl along Main. St.
“That’s kind of fun, that’s something we are working on as a group to get more interest,” said Grove. “When people come out to look at art, they can take in several openings at once instead of trying to pick and choose between which one they want to see the most.
“People are so busy, it’s impossible to get to everything. I think it will be really fun to even have a day once a month or every couple of months that is like an art walk day.”